-
Victoria comes to the throne
Victoria became Queen at the age of 18 after the death of her uncle, William IV. She reigned for more than 60years. -
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens was one of the greatest Victorian novelists.
'Oliver Twist' was, originally published in serial form and brought to public attention contemporary social evils -
People's Charter
The People's Charter advocated democratic reform on the basis of six points -
Slavery is abolished in the British empire
In 1834, slaves in the British empire started a period of 'apprenticeship', and in 1838, over 700,000 slaves were freed in the British Caribbean. -
London-Birmingham line
London-Birmingham was the first railway line into the capital city. The line precipitated the first of the great railway booms. -
Prime Minister Viscount Melbourne resigns
Victoria asked Sir Robert Peel, as leader of the Tory opposition, to form a government. Peel refused to do so. -
Vaccination for the poor is introduced
Parliament enabled local poor law authorities to provide vaccination at the expense of ratepayers. -
A uniform postage rate of one penny is introduced
Britain's postal system was expensive, complex and open to abuse.The volume of letters sent in Britain increased five-fold to almost 350 million a year. -
Sir Robert Peel forms a Conservative government
Sir Robert Peel forced a general election after defeating the Whigs on a no-confidence motion in the House of Commons -
Irish potato famine begins
In September 1845, the potato crop began to rot all over Ireland. -
Sir Robert Peel resigns
Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel resigns after the Corn Laws are repealed -
The Great Exhibition
Opens at the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, and was designed to provide a showcase for the world's most advanced inventions, manufactures and works of art. -
Crimean War begins
Britain and France declare war on Russia and the war was ended by the Treaty of Paris in March 1856. -
Britain's first symphony orchestra is founded
Charles Hallé, the pianist and conductor, founded the orchestra which still bears his name. -
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin's 'On the Origin of Species' is published. The book created an immediate stir, since Darwin's theory appeared to contradict the bible's creation story. -
Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, dies
Albert's premature death from typhoid plunged Victoria into a long period of mourning during which a republican movement gained popularity. -
Joseph Lister writes on antiseptics in 'The Lancet'
Joseph Lister began experiments designed to reduce high hospital mortality rates from septic inflammation. He is regarded as the founder of modern surgical practice. -
William Gladstone becomes prime minister
William Gladstone headed a Liberal government after defeating Benjamin Disraeli's Conservative government in a general election, and is credited with passing many reforms -
Voting by secret ballot is introduced
The proposal was fiercely contested by the House of Lords, which considered it 'cowardly' and 'unmanly'. -
Victoria is declared empress of India
-
Education becomes compulsory for children under ten
-
Married women obtain the right to acquire their own property
It allowed women to acquire and retain any property deemed separate from that of their husband's -
Parish councils are created
The Local Government Act required all parishes with a population over 300 to elect parish councils. -
Death duties are introduced
Death duties, the predecessor of the present inheritance tax, were proposed by the Liberal chancellor of the exchequer, Sir William Harcourt. -
Women's suffrage campaign gains momentum
-
Guglielmo Marconi
He established the first transatlantic signal in December 1901. His work inaugurated the 'Wireless Age'. -
Second Boer War begins in South Africa
The Boers of the Transvaal forced the British government to recognise their independence. But the Boers refused to recognise the rights of the British in the Transvaal. -
Victoria dies
And is succeeded by Edward VII. Her death was truly the end of an era.
